Balance
by Yitani East
Summary: The Afterlife is the best drag show on campus. Everyone knows there is a different side to every preformer. Ishida, Yumichika and Ulquiorra try to make it through college while balancing daily life, love life and their image as preformers.
1. Chapter 1

So here we are: my first anime fanfiction in a very long time. I have been itching to write Bleach fanfiction for the longest time.

This is an AU fanfiction. So there will be OOC and inconsistencies but that's why we have AU right? We can all dream, can't we? Ha-ha.

Again, this is a Yaoi fanfiction there will male pairings, precisely Ichigo/Uryuu, Yumichika/Ikkaku and Grimmjow/Ulquiorra. There will be straight pairings too. If you don't like Yaoi please don't flame simply because your interests lie elsewhere.

Happenings in this chapter:

-Ichigo and Uryuu discuss Ichigo's Xbox

-Yumichika finds a pair of panties in his and Ikkaku's room.

-Ulquiorra gives relationship advice in his own strange way.

WARNINGS: Mentions of sex and panties

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter One: Day to Day

Classes were a drag. They're always a drag and always will be. They either meet Monday Tuesday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday OR the long classes were on just Monday and Wednesday. Yeah, see it's confusing. Sadly, Uryuu Ishida did not own a printer so he was stuck scribing his schedule on the front page of the too small notebook he never seemed to be without. Ichigo observed how everything was color coded in this small notebook. Phone numbers, reminders, and homework assignments were organized by color and date in this small red leather bound notebook.

"Stop going through my things." Uryuu said from the bathroom where he was organizing something or other. There was so much stuff in there Ichigo as surprised he knew what was what. The thing is, all of it was Uryuu's. The only thing Ichigo had in there was a toothbrush and soap, normal guy soap none of that flowery shit.

"How do you do that?" Ichigo asked putting the half-pint notebook back into Uryuu's messenger bag. They'd only just gotten back home after class. Uryuu took four classes whereas Ichigo took two.

"I'm psychic, Ichigo." Uryuu said stepping out of the bathroom wiping his hands on a paper towel and throwing it away. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "You check my cell phone too?" His sarcasm was obvious but good natured.

"I don't go through all your things. I'm not nosy." Ichigo said sitting back in his desk chair looking furtively back at his laptop.

"No, you're not. You just get bored easily." Uryuu replied with a smirk. Ichigo huffed.

"Well I wouldn't be so bored if you weren't cleaning every second of the day." Ichigo replied with a glum sigh.

"You have a TV and an Xbox; you don't need me to entertain me all the time." Uryuu replied going to his sewing. He was working on mending a skirt. He wished Ayasegawa-san would appreciate his services just a little more. Just because he did it for free didn't mean Yumichika could be so careless with his costumes.

"I swear you bought that for me so you'd have more time sewing." Ichigo remarked turning in his chair to look back at the chair. A smirk crossed Uryuu's lips.

"No, that's why I let you buy more games." Uryuu said pulling the thread again and tying it off.

"Then why did you buy me the Xbox?" Ichigo quizzed. Uryuu let out a breathy noise that sounded remotely like a laugh.

"You whined about it for weeks." He replied tucking a lock of hair behind his ear.

"So it was to shut me up." Ichigo said as Uryuu got up to put the folded skirt in the plastic Wal-Mart bag Yumichika had put the skirt in.

"Something like that." Uryuu replied. "And to see the look on your face." The smirk turned into a good natured smile. Ichigo could hear the smile from where he was sitting. That's one of the things he loved about Uryuu. He didn't have to display a lot of emotion; you could just hear it in his voice without even looking at him. What he didn't expect was Uryuu to wrap his arms around him as he typed away on his laptop. They didn't lead a very touchy-feely relationship, especially because Ichigo was still in the closet regarding their relationship. Sure his family had some vague idea of his relationship but to his knowledge, none of their friends knew. Uryuu was patient with him but he got a few hints that his patience was slowly running very…thin. Like right now, Uryuu was hugged around him like he was asking for a piggy back ride. "Still working on your Psychology paper?"

"Yeah, it's harder…"

"…than it looks, yes, yes I know." There was another hint. That short stifled sigh of frustration…or was it irritation? Well whatever it was it was starting to bother him. They were "roommates" to anyone outside of the relationship. Ichigo was perfectly happy with that for now. Maybe he shouldn't have expected Uryuu to just accept it. "It's due in a week, finish it soon if you want me to proof-read it." Uryuu said. Was that a warning?

"Yeah I know." Ichigo replied sighing.

"Are you all right?" Mixed signals abound. Now Ichigo had no idea what Uryuu wanted or maybe he was just over-analyzing the whole situation _or maybe_ Uryuu knew he'd obsess over this and was planning to manipulate him into being some whipped dog, _or maybe_ Uryuu was trying to get him too…now he was just being _paranoid_.

"My head hurts." Ichigo set his head on the desk with an audible "thump". There was that breathy laugh again. Uryuu started to gently massage Ichigo's temples. "That feels good…" Ichigo sighed out. He took Uryuu's hand and kissed it. He'd like to believe he was the only one who knew about the scars on Uryuu's hands but Yumichika probably knew and Ulquiorra if the two were on speaking terms still…and maybe Orihime did but they didn't hang out as much as they used to. But in the end, he supposed that didn't matter. He turned around and leaned up to kiss Uryuu's lips. What mattered is that he had Uryuu now and he loved him. He just needed a little more time. "C'mere." He pulled Uryuu into his lap with a wolfish grin. After a brief minute of heated kissing, Ichigo pulled back. "When do you have rehearsal?" He asked snaking a hand up Uryuu's shirt. Uryuu looked at the clock. It was 2:00.

"I have time."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

2:00 was about the time Yumichika and Ikkaku were pouring themselves out of bed. Yumichika always woke up gracefully. Why? Because he was fucking Yumichika Ayasegawa what other reason did he need? He always seemed to yawn at just the right moment and stretch at just the right angle. You would think he was waking up at the crack of dawn not the middle of the afternoon. Maybe it's because Yumichika had actually woken up earlier to clean around the house they shared with…ugh…lots of other people. This place might as well have been a Frat house. Most people just called their house 11 because of the address and it was kind of infamous.

"Yumi…?" Ikkaku woke when the weight of the bed shifted. He grabbed Yumichika's hand before he got out of bed. "What're you…?"

"It's 2:00. We have class in an hour." Yumichika replied leaning over and kissing the other on the cheek. Ikkaku grumbled and glanced at the clock.

"Shiiiiiiit." The bald man muttered sitting up and yawning. "How long were we up last night?"

"_You_ rolled in at about five." Yumichika replied sitting up and reaching for his cell phone. Ikkaku was silent for a minute as he watched Yumichika continue to pick things up and straighten things around the room.

"You're mad." He stated.

"What?"

"You're mad at me."

"No I'm not." Ikkaku would've bought that, if Yumichika hadn't hesitated before he said it.

"Bullshit." He retorted. Yumichika sighed and went to his bag sitting by the door to continue looking for his cell phone.

"Did you have my phone last night?" He asked. Ikkaku grunted in irritation.

"Don't change the subject, will ya?" He bleated. Yumichika rummaged around for his phone. He picked apart a pile of clothes he was sure were neither his nor Ikkaku's. "Why are you so bent out of shape?" Yumichika didn't answer until he found the cell phone among the strange assortment of clothing. "Yumi, answer me."

"This place is ugly." Yumichika replied flatly. He gestured around the room. He picked up a pair of panties. "Really?" He asked rhetorically.

"Ugly? What's wrong with it?" Ikkaku didn't quite catch his meaning. Yumichika sighed and ran a hand through his hair then promptly straightened it.

"It's _dirty_." He elaborated. "I'm not a maid either. It's an ugly position, cleaning up after you all day."

"Ah, Yumi, you know how much I hate to clean…" Ikkaku groaned. "Gimme a break…" He promptly received a face full of clothes in response. Once he got everything out of his face, Yumichika had turned on his heel and left.

Downstairs, Yumichika was on his cell phone while putting up some of the dishes left from the others who had early classes in Zaraki's boarding house. He honestly hated cleaning, but he couldn't stand to see everything look so dirty and ugly. No matter how many times everyone insisted leaving it dirty. Some people called that OCD. He called keeping things beautiful.

"H-Hello?" About time he picked up…

"Ah, Uryuu-kun." Yumichika replied as he turned on the dishwasher. "I was wondering…?"

"Is this…ah…important?"

"Are you okay?"

"Umm…ahn…I'm…ah…fine." Yumichika smirked. He kind of wished he was having crazy-hot midday sex too. But he had class in the next forty five minutes. "Will you stop, you're the one who said I should…ah…! Answer the phone." There was grumbling from the person Ishida was talking to. Yumichika felt proud that Ishida had trusted him to be one of the two people who knew about Ichigo.

"About my costume…"

"I'll have it at…ah, stop it." Ishida took a minute to regain his breath. "Rehearsal tonight."

"Great, thanks." Yumichika said. "Have fun." He hung up the phone and left Ishida to his afternoon delight. He heard the shower run and he knew it was Ikkaku. He could just tell by now. They'd been together since Junior Year and they were both fifth year seniors. Yumichika had a double major and Ikkaku well…was Ikkaku. He was tired of how predictable they'd become though. They weren't a married couple for Christ's sake. He knew once he left the shower, Ikkaku had the potential to run them both late so he always had some manner of food on the counter top and both they're bags in his hand. Yumichika had even gotten into the habit of waking up early just to shower, even if he went right back to bed afterwards. Maybe he really was just the maid.

Sure enough precisely at 1:45 Ikkaku came downstairs pulling on a shirt and grabbing the sandwich Yumichika left for him off of the plate. Yumichika handed him his bag as they both left the house. Ikkaku stole a few cursory glances at Yumichika who was still visibly bothered, and silent. A quiet Yumichika was never a good sign. He tried on numerous occasions to start a conversation, but walking time only took about ten minutes.

When they parted ways, Ikkaku went to kiss Yumichika who merely received the kiss. Leaving Ikkaku disgruntled and frustrated. He watched Yumichika strut off the opposite way before trudging to Chemistry. He hated Chemistry mostly because he was stuck sitting beside Yumichika's creepy friend Ulquiorra.

As usual, there Ulquiorra was reading a book like the Philosophy Major he was, gently reclined in the lecture hall chair, decked in a black and white checked hoodie and girl pants to boot. He never understood why Yumichika liked this kid so much. He didn't bother to say hi to the Emo kid at first. Ulquiorra was more than happy to ignore him for the moment. The two were never on speaking terms anyway. That's why it was such a surprise when Ikkaku actually spoke up.

"Did Yumichika say anything about me?" He asked. Ulquiorra peeked over his book for a minute to scrutinize him then went back to reading.

"He always does."

"Do you know why he's mad at me? Has he said anything about that?" Ikkaku pressed. Ulquiorra turned a page and read half of it before answering.

"What time did you get home last night?"

"Why the hell would that even be…" Ikkaku was cut off by a hard stare from Ulquiorra's calculating eyes. He could _feel_ the kid judging him. "Yumichika said it was around…five?"

"You woke up in bed?"

"Yeah."

"What was he doing when you woke up?"

"Cleaning, he's always so obsessed with making everything perfect." Ikkaku said fuming over his now open Chemistry Book.

"What did you eat today?"

"Something Yumi made. What does this have to…" Suddenly it dawned on him. "Oh."

"Ayasegawa-san loves you. But he hates having to clean up after you." Ulquiorra said simply turning another page.

"He did say something about not being a maid." As proud as he was, Ikkaku's greatest downfall was Yumichika. He was practically dying with guilt and Ulquiorra was secretly enjoying it too. "I just told him…"

"…How much you hate cleaning." Ikkaku sank in his chair.

"Yeah…" He mumbled.

"At least thank him." Ulquiorra said in that same odd monotone voice. There was silence between them as the lecture went on.

"You know, I can kind of see why Yumichika likes you now, Schiffer." Ikkaku said once the lecture ended. He offered to shake the other's hand. Ulquiorra just stared at Ikkaku's hand for a long moment. "It's a handshake, what's wrong with it?"

"I don't touch trash." Ulquiorra replied turning on his heel and leaving an angry, shouting Ikkaku in his wake.

Outside of the classroom, an arm was suddenly draped over his shoulders but it didn't surprise him. In fact, he didn't even have to look.

"Hello, Grimmjow." He replied smoothly. There was a tiny upward curving of the lips as Grimmjow planted an unabashed and…kind of wet…kiss on Ulquiorra's cheek. "I take it you want to walk me home?"

"Of course, I've gotta protect what's mine." Grimmjow reported proudly. Unlike Yumichika and Ikkaku, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had gone out for all of a month.

"Hn." Grimmjow didn't let the lack of response bother him, in fact he planted another kiss directly on Ulquiorra's lips. He pulled away with a proud grin once Ulquiorra kissed back. Grimmjow was determined to be the only person to ever make Ulquiorra blush and while he'd never say it out loud, Ulquiorra was too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So…good? Bad? It's been such a long time since I've done these things. I would like a review that would really do me some good. I love you readers.

Plans for next chapter (subject to change)

-Uryuu, Yumichika and Ulquiorra meet for rehearsal.

-Yumichika lets a secret slip.

-Uryuu tries to avoid a creepy professor.

-Ulquiorra fails at domestic tasks.

See you later Wobbly H!

-East


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the long wait this will not become a habit. My computer crashed and well frankly the university computers suck.

This is an AU fanfiction. So there will be OOC and inconsistencies but that's why we have AU right? We can all dream, can't we? Ha-ha.

Again, this is a Yaoi fanfiction there will male pairings, precisely Ichigo/Uryuu, Yumichika/Ikkaku and Grimmjow/Ulquiorra. There will be straight pairings too. If you don't like Yaoi please don't flame simply because your interests lie elsewhere.

Happenings in this chapter:

-Uryuu indulges in a guilty pleasure

-Ulquiorra gets a new nickname

-Yumichika gets what he deserves

-Orihime just won't give up

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Two: Conversations With Missing Words

Uryuu was reasonably content with the way the day turned out. He'd finished class by 1:00; he got in some sewing, finally organized the black hole called the bathroom that had all his costume make up in and he even had mid-afternoon sex…_good_ afternoon sex not that suck-me-off-and-we'll-call-it-even sex. He had a more memories of that with his first boyfriend than he really had a desire to remember. Even though they fell asleep, they had enough time to eat dinner together and finish homework in time for rehearsal. Overall, this was a very good day and he was determined to continue it.

He was always the first person to arrive at the dance studio which was named Rainer Hall after someone who helped found the school. He practically lived here most of the week. They had a faculty supervisor they never saw and that was how they liked it. She was there to give them vital information and then she let them have free-reign over everything except for dance moves deemed too explicit. So lifting their skirts were out of the question, besides, that would ruin the illusion no matter how funny Yumichika thought it was.

Uryuu fished through the CD collection they had sitting by the large stereo. He'd never say it out loud but Lady GaGa was his guilty pleasure. He had yet to talk to a gay man who hadn't fallen under the spell of the brilliant and completely insane recording artist. He slipped his burned copy of the CD in and started it on Bad Romance, his favorite song. He could squeal if he was a girl. He went to the ballet bar and immediately began stretching. After pulling his hamstring last week, he was determined to stretch thoroughly before every rehearsal and every dance class.

"Lady GaGa?" Uryuu would like to say the Ulquiorra didn't just scare the crap out of him but that would be a lie. "Nice choice." He sat down his bag by Uryuu's and he joined him by the bar. He was already dressed too. They stretched in silence at first. "Grimmjow's birthday is coming up." What an odd thing to bring up randomly.

"When is it, Schiffer-san?" He asked. The mix of Schiffer and the honorific "san" was awkward on the tongue but Uryuu had gotten used to it.

"In a week." Ulquiorra replied. The sound of Yumichika on his cell phone and entering the building was heard. "I am…not sure what to get him." Uryuu would laugh if Ulquiorra wasn't being so serious. "I would like your…input." Uryuu was a bit flattered that someone as reserved as Ulquiorra would ask him for advice.

"Well you've only been dating a month." Ishida replied. He stole a glance at Yumichika as he turned down Poker Face to listen to the other person on the phone while he stretched. "You could do something small, I suppose." He suggested with a shrug.

"Small?"

"Doesn't Grimmjow like to eat?" Uryuu asked. Ulquiorra nodded in response. "Cook him dinner or make a cake. I'd go for cooking dinner though…baking's a bitch."

Ulquiorra paused in his stretching to seriously considering this.

"That sounds like a very good idea. Thank you, Ishida." he said a smile daring to slide its way across his face.

"Don't mention it." Uryuu shook out his limbs from the stretch and slipped on his practice heels. He handed Ulquiorra's heels to him and they did a few practice turns.

"Uh huh…okay…Yachiru…I have to go…okay...okay…bye." Yumichika hung up before she could say anything else and turned to Uryuu and Ulquiorra. "Sorry, Yachiru is having her first middle school dance." He summoned up the energy to do his best whiny Yachiru impersonation. He latched onto Uryuu's arm. "Wierdo-chan…I want to look _perfect_ it's my first boy/girl dance!" Yumichika had learned to decipher his stoic friends. Ishida would chuckle with a hand over him mouth like a manly geisha and Ulquiorra would merely smirk and look away like he was embarrassed to be caught smiling. Yumichika always thought his friends would be so much more beautiful if they smiled a little more.

Looking in the mirror in front of the dance studio, Uryuu could define heir practice clothes as a "hot mess". Such a term made him think of Ichigo…or even Ulquiorra's boyfriend Grimmjow. Each young man wore a skirt each of varying length except for Ulquiorra since he preferred dresses. The general color scheme of their leggings was generally monochromatic except when Yumichika wore those Halloween tights. Four inch heels were standard. Normally during shows hey wore high heel boots or "hooker heels" but just pumps would do for rehearsal. Ulquiorra always wore his black and white hoodie. He hardly ever took the damn thing off.

"Wanna run Single Ladies?" Yumichika asked. Ulquiorra and Uryuu exchanged glances before nodding. "Who wants to be in the middle this time?"

"Ulquiorra." Ishida replied. Ulquiorra glared at him. "Don't look at me like that you are the only one who hasn't done it yet." Ishida stated placing and hand on his hip and looking so much more gay than he could already possibly look. Ulquiorra made a non-committal grunt of consent and he reluctantly got into place for the song as Yumichika hit play.

It took Uryuu weeks to find and piece together clips of the entire "Single Ladies" dance and even longer to learn it and teach it. It was Yumichika's idea but only Uryuu was the one who really wanted to follow up on it. Ulquiorra just couldn't be bothered with it because of his hatred for anything non-scene kid related. However, Uryuu and Yumichika and Uryuu shared a smirk as Ulquiorra not only preformed the dance without missing a beat and lip synced every single word perfectly.

By the time rehearsal was over, Ulquiorra had a new nickname.

Beyonce.

Yumichika had gotten home a bit late. Rehearsal had run a bit over and plus he was in no hurry to go back home and _clean_. He parked his bike on the porch and locked it up with his usual chain. He fished through his keys and opened the door. He set his bag and his newly repaired skirt by the door and turned on the TV before he realized no one was downstairs. He didn't think much of it though, he figured no one was home.

Once he entered the kitchen, Yumichika was delightfully shocked to find the kitchen clean and a sandwich was waiting for him on the countertop. A little note addressed to him was tucked under the plate.

_Hope you like what I did with the kitchen._

_-Ikkaku_

Yumichika smiled to himself and took a bite of the sandwich. He would like to believe it was him alone who got through to Ikkaku, but he knew that was not the case. He knew someone had to give Ikkaku a little push. Not that he doubted his intelligence but he knew that he and Ikkaku were the type of people that sometimes needed a little push to get the big picture. He held the note to his heart touched by Ikkaku's effort. He picked up his cell phone and texted Ikkaku.

To: Ikkaku

_Love you. Thank you._

Surprisingly enough, it only took seconds for Ikkaku to reply.

To: Yumichika

_Wait until you see the bedroom, come upstairs._

Yumichika didn't even bother taking his phone with him. If anyone called, they were going to have to wait. He went up stairs to his and Ikkaku's room. There, he found Ikkaku, two bottles of cold beer, and a room so clean he could see his reflection in the walls. Ikkaku always had the knack for apologizing in a big way and that definitely won points with his showboating boyfriend.

There were no words needed. Ikkaku was knocked over onto the neatly made bed and promptly attacked by a rain of grateful kisses.

"So you forgive me?" He asked. Yumichika grinned and leaned in with a slower, deeper kiss straddling Ikkaku's hips. Needless to say, the bed did not stay neat for long.

"He even made sure the bedroom was clean too." Yumichika said walking out of the classroom with Ulquiorra and Orihime Inoue. "I owe you a thank you, Schiffer-kun."

"I didn't expect you to figure out it was me." Ulquiorra replied. "My relationship advice is solicited as discretely as possible." There was the slightest of smiles on his face. Even Ulquiorra could crack a joke every once and a while.

"That's so sweet of him though." Orihime piped up. "Makes me wish I had a boyfriend of my own. I guess I'm still holding candle for Kurosaki-kun." She giggled shyly. Yumichika and Ulquiorra exchanged uneasy glances over her head but said nothing. They always wondered in Uryuu knew about Orihime's not so little crush on Ichigo but that answer was probably and emphatic "no". Orihime wouldn't want the "roommate" and "best friend" of her biggest crush to go and accidentally tell her secret. Honestly, Ulquiorra and Yumichika felt like idiots for fanning the flame but what else could they do? Ishida trusted them and he'd never say it out loud but Ulquiorra couldn't stand to Orihime cry. He'd feel _terrible_.

"Ishida-kun!" Orihime call with a smile as she jogged toward the young man walking towards them.

"Inoue-san." Uryuu said with a smile he reserved only for Orihime. If he hadn't come out of the closet two years ago, most people would think he had a crush on her. "How're you?"

"I'm fine. How're you?" Orihime said with a grin.

"Actually, I have something to tell you, it could wait until later but Kuchiki-san is coming back home from overseas." Uryuu said. Yumichika and Orihime were suddenly overcome with excitement and questions.

"Rukia's coming back? Where is she staying?" Orihime asked.

"With her brother and Renji."

"Renji? So you're back on a first name basis with him?" Yumichika asked.

"Well, yes, I mean, we didn't break up on bad terms." Uryuu replied crossing his arms over his chest.

"When'll we be able to see her?" Orihime persisted. She really had no interest in Uryuu's past boyfriends. In fact, Uryuu's sexual preference had always bothered her not because she'd always had this weird paranoia of Ishida's sexuality having some sort of influence on Ichigo.

"This Saturday at her brother and Renji's apartment." Uryuu replied. "They've invited us all up there."

"That's a two hour drive, though." Orihime replied pouting a bit. "I don't have a working car."

"You can ride with me and Ichigo." Uryuu offered totally ignorant to Orihime near obsession with _his_ Ichigo.

"Really?" Orihime quipped nearly sweating out of her panties. Yumichika rolled his eyes and Ulquiorra merely hummed suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Neither Uryuu nor Orihime noticed. So Yumichika decided to keep the conversation alive.

"Will you be going, Schiffer-kun?" He asked. Ulquiorra shook his head plaintively.

"No, I didn't know Kuchiki very well." He replied. "Besides, it's Grimmjow's birthday. I already have plans thanks to Ishida's suggestions."

"So you decided to cook." Yumichika asked smothering a snicker with his hand. "This ought to be good." Ulquiorra's frown deepened.

"Your lack of faith in my domestic skill is nothing less than infuriating." He said quirking an eyebrow. Yumichika pouted playfully.

"You know I'm just joking right?" Ulquiorra's frown didn't fade. "You're such a stiff." He turned back to Orihime and Ishida who were still making travel arrangements.

"Well look it's not until next week I'm sure we'll think of something."Ishida said with a smile. Ulquiorra fought his instincts not to roll his eyes. Orihime must've been trying to get into the car with Kurosaki alone. Someone really needed to tell her the truth. Was he that big of a coward where he just couldn't take even seeing her upset. He let out a disgruntled groan. "Is something wrong, Schiffer-san?"

"No." Ulquiorra mumbled discontentedly. Yumichika looked over to him briefly but didn't reply. Orihime sensed the mood had changed and decided to make herself scarce.

"I should get going." She piped up. "Bye guys!" She waved and the three young men waved back before she disappeared into the crowd. The group of drag-queens continued down the hallway in silent.

While Yumichika spoke with a professor for one of his required science classes, Ulquiorra and Uryuu waited just outside. They had to go to dance class together anyway. Uryuu was finishing up some sketches for their newest costumes. He saw Ulquiorra's brief raise of his eyebrows and he knew he'd outdone himself. If only they had a fourth dancer...he could use that card suite motif for Poker Face.

"Ishida-kun!" A clipped voice called out to him and he pencil went awry. He groaned miserably. _No...not him_. Ulquiorra caught a glimpse of Uryuu's distraught face and chose a more defensive position against this new presence. Professor Aporro-Grantz made a beeline for the two young men. "Ah you're sketching new brilliant ideas as usual." This man was so disgustingly fake. Uryuu could only be the same and force a smile to his face. This man was a professor after all.

"For our next performance, professor." Uryuu replied trying his damnedest to be civil. The professor had the gall to snatch the sketchbook from the student's hands. He reviewed the drawings as if it were his job to approve them. Uryuu fumed but knew it was not in his best interest to rebel seeing as how a good grade in the man's Biology III class would set him well on his path to his Pre-Med Diploma and on the rode for...five more years of school. The thought of it made him physically ill even more so than the man holding his stolen notebook.

"Perhaps you should focus on work instead of drawing dresses." Professor Aporro-Grantz replied handing the book back with that God awful smile of his. "However," He leaned in, far too close for Ishida's comfort. He was much taller than Ishida."I do love seeing you preform." Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? Aporro was creepy. Too creepy just when he'd gotten rid Kurotuschi too. "I'll see you in class." He turned on his heel and left. Ulquiorra examined his friend's face for a reaction but Uryuu merely glanced back down at the sketchbook to see if anything had been smudged. This was cause for concern.

"He really...bothers...you, doesn't he?" Ulquiorra asked. Uryuu didn't really answer. He merely gave a disinterested "mm" in response. Ulquiorra knew this was a front but chose not to prod at the soft spot either. He wasn't too good at digging deep into that gooey emotional center himself. That was always Yumichika's area of expertise. He supposed that when it came to their little trio of gay misfits, Uryuu was "the little one" he was the youngest after all.

"Sorry, that took so long." Yumichika said with and aggravated sigh. "That woman's attitude is so ugly. She'd be more beautiful if she'd just be _nicer_." He looked down the hallway just in time to see Aporro-sensei disappear around the corner. He looked down at Uryuu who was still focused on his sketchbook. "He really bothers you doesn't he?" Uryuu just sighed and shut the book.

"Let's go. We're going to be late to class."

Remember I love you readers. Keep the reviews coming!

Plans for Next Chapter

-Yumichika overdoes it

-Uryuu's father calls

-Ulquiorra searches for recipes

-The Afterlife preforms at the local bar


End file.
